Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10280 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-12-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the essential principles of t'ai chi is complete relaxation, letting the lower body sink as if rooted into the ground while the upper body floats above. The movements are slow, circular, fluid, and balanced. In T'ai Chi for Health: Yang Long Form, instructor Terence Dunn teaches the complex, 108-posture Long Form with clarity and patience. The format of this 120-minute video is similar to T'ai Chi for Health: Yang Short Form: 7-minute explanation of the qualities, philosophy, and health benefits of t'ai chi; 10-minute breathing and warm-up segment; 20-minute introduction to basic postures; full hour of step-by-step instruction in the 108 postures of the Yang Long Form; and finally a 15-minute Yang Long Form demonstration. Dunn is an excellent instructor, explaining each move in detail and demonstrating with grace, suppleness, and strength. --Joan Price

Customer Reviews

Excellent instruction video of this invigorating exercise
[....] There are a couple mistakes in regards to left-right positioning (which are quickly rectified through continual practice) and the whole ‘mirror-movement’ is challenging—-at first. But for someone serious about learning the basics of Tai Chi Ch’uan, you really cannot go wrong here. You just need three things: enough space to practice (10’ by ’10 is optimum), enthusiasm, and patience.

Tai Chi Ch’uan, translated as ‘supreme ultimate boxing’, is an ancient Chinese exercise designed to maintain flexibility, increase mental awareness, and cultivate ‘Chi’, i.e. lifeforce. Practice of this martial art strengthens the muscles of the entire body, limbers the joints, teaches one correct posture, balance and breathing, and gives the practitioner a calm ‘natural high’ far more subtle and rewarding than the usual methods (caffeine, sugar, alcohol). There are three ways to learn the art: through a certified instructor (the best), off a video such as this (also recommended), or from a book (not recommended at all). And among the video selection, Terry Dunn’s T’ai Chi for Health is among the very best.

The video begins with Terry practicing the Yang Long Form at dawn on a beach while a relaxed angle-American voice explains the basic concepts of Taoist philosophy and extols the benefits of long-term Tai Chi practice. Very classy. The meat of the video is in three sections: 1) the basic postures and warm-up stretches (30 minutes), 2) instruction of the 108 Yang Long Form movements (60 minutes), 3) additional exercises (15 minutes). A long conclusion showpiece has Terry practicing the entire form in a dimly lit studio.

The production and presentation of this video are top-notch. Terry Dunn is a calm and graceful teacher with a mellow, easy-on-the-ears voice; the atmospheric music by Vangelis compliments the forms very well. The philosophical concepts are presented in an understandable way for those not acquainted with Eastern thought. Though there are a few neglected areas, including the history of Tai Chi’s development (it originally begun as Dim-Mak, or ‘death-point striking’) and its sword forms, for those interested in increasing their health in a graceful, gentle way, I highly recommend this tape. I’ve been using it for five years and am _fully_ satisfied with the results.

DVD is not a new production
If you already own the VHS, you may be wondering whether this is a new production, especially since the cover photo appears to be a 40-year-old Dunn. Wouldn't you like to see the results of some 20 years of practice? Imagine, too, all the ideas Dunn must have had over the years of what he could have done better on the video. Well, sorry, it's the same production as on the VHS tape, the same 20-year-old Dunn, the same soundtrack, including the same minor errors in verbal instruction.

There is, nevertheless, some advantage in the DVD format over the VHS, if you haven't learned the form yet. There is a menu, with the form broken down into about 50 short pieces, and it will cycle through a chosen short piece repeatedly until you select "next" -- or you can play straight through the entire form. If you're like me, you'll use that automatic repetition of short pieces quite a lot, on your way to learning the form.

Excellent video of the Yang Long Form
I have seen quite a few Tai Chi DVD's and this one is probably one of the best. There are plenty of videos of the so-called "Yang" short form (I prefer not to call it Yang, but instead the "Beijing 24 form"), but not many good videos of the Yang Long Form. This one is worth buying. The production quality of the video is very good and the descriptions are clear. You can repeat individual sections, which is helpful. Even though the title of the DVD includes the words "Tai Chi for Health", this is good traditional Taijiquan with martial application; not just flowery new age movements.